D+
Dallas Cowboys
Larceny in the Round 5 slot lands the Cowboys a D+, Mondon Jr. and all.
by Boke ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 16 picks
· 7 steals
· 6 reaches
Some picks age like wine; Donovan Jackson at the 42nd overall pick will need to, sitting 42 spots clear of his grade. Too much went sideways, and the D+ is the honest tally.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Mondon Jr.. The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. The Cowboys indulged a want in Winston Jr. while a need in cornerback, quarterback and other spots stayed open.
That cornerback hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 7 they get a weapon on the perimeter. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In the Round 1 slot they get an anchor for the defensive front at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
A wild overpay on Donovan Jackson in the 42nd pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Nick Emmanwori at Round 2, Pick 12 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Value said wait; Kyle Kennard in No. 57 says they were not listening. It adds depth where they could use a little.
A curious use of pick No. 76. Cornerback, quarterback and other spots needed the pick; a safety in Kevin Winston Jr. did not.
They went early on Savion Williams in the 92nd pick, and the value did not follow. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid sticker price for Jack Nelson in pick 108, and that is fine. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A top-tier running back at a bargain, TreVeyon Henderson in slot 109, plain and simple. A need, and now a little less of one.
Steal is underselling it; Sonny Styles at the Round 5 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Theo Wease Jr. in the 168th overall pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Circle this one: Cam Skattebo at Round 5, Pick 33 is a fall that decides a draft. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Taking Smael Mondon Jr. in Round 5, Pick 36 is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They will replay Shemar Turner at pick 186 for years; that is how good the value is. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They barely believed it either: Jack Kiser still on the board at the Round 6 slot. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They reached into another round for Jamaree Caldwell, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.